This invention relates to how an electronic device (such as a multi-media device) interacts with a user of the device. More particularly, the invention relates to how the device indicates to the user that the device is unable to proceed with a function the user has requested.
Several types of electronic devices can store and then “play” for a user various types of media. For example, the media may be video or video-like media such as a movie or music video. Such video media may be visual-only (like a silent movie) or both visual and audio (like most contemporary movies that include a sound track). Another example of media is audio-only media, like music unaccompanied by any visual images. Whatever the form of the media, an electronic device playing the media for a user preferably reproduces for the user all aspects of the content of that media. For example, if the media includes visual content, the electronic device playing that media typically displays that content on a display screen so the user can see it as intended by the originator of the media. Alternatively or in addition, if the media includes audio content, then the electronic device playing that media typically produces an audible output of that content (e.g., via speakers, ear phones, or the like) so that the user can hear the audio content as intended by the originator of the media. Another term that is sometimes used for playing media is “reproducing” media. All of these terms mean delivering the media to one or more senses (e.g., the eyes and/or ears) of the user as the originator of the media intended that the user would receive and experience the media.
Examples of electronic devices that can play one or more types of media are some personal computers, some hand-held media players (e.g., the iPOD® media player available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), some cellular telephones (“cell phones”) or cell-phone-like devices (e.g., the iPHONE® cellular telephone available from Apple Inc.), and the like. Such devices may receive the media that they play in any of a number of different ways. For example, the device may play the media more or less directly from a hard or relatively hard source of the media such as a pre-recorded CD or DVD. Alternatively, the device may first load the media from such a hard or relatively hard source into a memory in the device, and thereafter play the media from that memory. As another example, the device may receive the media from another device or a remote source. This may be done via any of several different types of links such as a cable connection or a wireless connection (e.g., a cellular telephone connection, a WIFI connection, a Bluetooth connection, or the like). Such downloading of media from another device or remote source typically involves storing the media in memory of the device receiving the download so that the device can later play the media from that memory.
For convenience in the further discussion herein, all devices of the above-mentioned types that can play or reproduce media for a user may sometimes be referred to as media players or the like. A media player that can play or reproduce media having multiple forms of content (e.g., both audio and video content) or more than one kind of media (e.g., media that is audio only and media that is both audio and video) may sometimes be referred to as a multi-media player or the like. As used herein, multi-media players are included within the term media players. In other words, the more general or generic term is media player. Multi-media players are a subset of media players.
Occasionally a media player will be unable to proceed with playing media requested by the user. This may occur for any of several reasons such as a defect or error in the data for the media. When that occurs, the media player typically provides little or no information to the user about the player's inability to proceed.